Yuln smiles at Sildur, but shakes his head. "It's not the defeat that shames me. Do not misunderstand; many great men have been defeated in battle. My shame is in failing my charge. The Lady Argentea was still captured. At the very least, you were able to rescue her. Your group will surely be heroes of legend before this all is over."
Everybody is moving to the Stoat?
As Sildur and Thorn head into the Silver Stoat, they are greeted warmly by Kale. "I was worried when only some of you returned that not all of you made it back from your journey. What can I get for you?", she asks.
Tessaraea does not show much in the way of emotion when she hears the update from the warriors who have entered her store. It appears that years of living among her kind have made hiding her emotions almost second nature.
Yuln is much more animated, befitting his background as a soldier from the northern lands. "Lads!" he exclaims with some strain in his voice, "It is good to see you and hear the news that the Lady is safe. She may not want to see me, seeing as I let her be captured by the bandits."
When his sword is mentioned, Yuln becomes more sullen and gets a bit of sadness in his face. He sighs, saying "I am glad you were able to put my sword to good use. Between my injuries and my shame, I am not sure I will be able to wield it again. Do use that blade to deliver vengeance for me. That is about all I will be able to do to help you with this endeavor."
At the Silver Stoat:
When the Lady Argentea hears about the possibility of food, she says a very proper voice, "Lady Inkeep, a room in the back and a hot meal for me and my companions. The kingdom of Taldor will be in your debt and see you are well compensated."
With a short pause, Kale replies "We have no other rooms here. This main hall is all of the inn. Of course, as loyal Taldans, we are pleased to serve the crown." Then, after a short pause, she asks "Where are the rest of your traveling companions? It is unusual to see a royal traveling without their attendants."
The Lady Responds calmly "So much is true. I can't expect you to take the word of a stranger appearing so bedraggled as I without other proof. I will secure that shortly. In the meantime, do feed those that you know."
At the town hall:
Ionnia Teppin looks at the cage containing the fey with some trepidation. She asks, "Is it dangerous? Does it require any magics or wizardry to keep confined?"
After listening to the story that Thorn tells, Ionnia frowns with concern. "This is quite the unexpected and disturbing news. It has always been clear that something odd is going on, but news of witches from the north, fey, and human allies is much more than anybody expected. Are you and the rest of the group planning on going back and finding this Izoze and her allies? We don't have much to offer in the way of help, but what we do have is yours for the asking."
OK, I'm not super thrilled about the hit point training but this is one of the situations where it is very reasonable.
So, expect a slightly modified version of the rule shortly. I'm going to add some cost to it (like escalating cost. One or two points per level will be easy, the more you want the more it will cost) but it is basically OK.
Without giving too much in the way of spoilers, there are definitely times in the second and third book of the AP that you should have the
downtime to use the training.
Cool?
Also, sorry for being a bit AWOL of late. I'll have a gameplay update tonight.
After a knock on the door of the shop, the Elven woman Tessaraea opens the door widely. With a slight shock, she exclaims "So, it is you! Coming back to check on Yuln? I have good news. He may never fight again, but he certainly won't die either. Come in and let me go get him."
At the Silver Stoat: Agatha, Sturion, Penny, Lady Argentea:
When the four of you open the door to the tavern, most of the people already sitting at tables or the bar area turn and look, noting that new people are in town.
Kale, however, lights up from behind the bar and shouts a greeting to Agatha, "Welcome back to Heldren, Lady Agatha! We were not sure we would see you again. Would you and your new companions care for a drink or some hot food?"
At the town hall: Thorn:
Thorn opens the door to the largest and most impressive structure in the village. The building is mostly empty, but with a little bit of exploring and noise making, Thorn is able to find Ionnia at her desk.
As Thorn enters the area, Ionnia looks up and smiles. "You continue to surprise us Thorn. After the reports that we heard from Izumi, nobody was sure we would see you again. I'm glad the village still has you."
@Sildur - I don't have a problem with Entangle working in the snow, generally. As long as the area isn't specifically noted as desolate, there are always pine trees, roots, and seasonal items that should provide plant-based spells a way to work.
@Sturion - I'm not sure what you mean. In general, I'm good with all official material.
I'll leave the HP as a choice to each of you. I like rolling because it results in differentiated and unique characters. It does suck when you roll 1's for 2 or 3 levels in a row, though so if you want to use the Pathfinder Society method, I'm cool with that too.
Once you pick a method, you need to stick with it.
I think you all have edit access to the loot sheet.
Sorry for missing yesterday. I'll get the town map up in the Current Location Map ASAP.
Other things: It's no longer winter in Heldren, just unseasonably cold. It's late summer and in the upper 60's/low 70's, which is probably 20 or 25 degrees cooler than normal. You can get by with light clothes. I also forgot to do exposure checks on the way out, so everybody missed some potential pain with that one.
Last thing: Congrats on level 2!! Heldren is safe, so update your character sheets and the like at your leisure.
The group skirts around the battlefield and takes the short route to Heldren via the road that enters the city from the south. The trip is mostly uneventful and the temperature rises from quite cold and winter-like to merely unseasonably mild.
With the exception of the captured fey which shouts from under the cage at irregular intervals, everybody's mood seems to get a little bit better as you leave the snow in the winter wood behind.
It is the early evening by the time you can see the town. The road passes right by the Silver Stoat, which will likely have food and a place to stay. Thorn's ancestral home is further up toward the north of town, past the clock tower which serves as the town hall.
The Lady Argentea wonders aloud to anybody who may hear. "My original traveling group never intended to stop in this village. Does it have reasonable accommodations?"
I hope everybody had a relaxing memorial day weekend, let's get this re-started.
The battle site is largely the same as you had left it. There is a little bit more snow and perhaps some animals have been rooting around, but it is not changed very much.
Lady Argentea shakes her head. "There is not much I can do here. Once we get back to civilization, I will send some priests to concecrate the bodies and bury them safely. I do very much appreciate your steadfast resolve, Sildir."
If you have anything to add, here do it now. I'll get everybody into Heldren tonight if nothing else of note gets brought up.
The last key from Rhokar's ring does fit in the lockbox. In the box, you find:
- 25 pp, 150 gp, 180sp in coins
- a blue quartz gem (appraise DC15 to recognize as 100gp)
You can continue to deal with items and the like on the trip; in the interest of getting things moving faster I'm getting everybody back to Heldren.
The Lady Argentea nods sadly to Sildur, "Many good men and likely my handmaidens died to ensure I lived. That makes my heart heavy." After a few seconds, she straightens her back and adds "We appear to have found half of those responsible. I do hope you would plan on going back for the rest."
Poke around the site or move back up the road to Heldren?
Penny flinches a bit at the suggestion she is a bandit, but makes no real effort to appeal her case. She just adds a few grunts and the observation that "There is no need to spread rumors. I didn't take up arms against the lot of you."
Everybody can get ready to move with a minimum of complaining and hassles. The group takes most of the maps and paperwork from the upstairs meeting room, hoping that it will be useful back at the village.
Perception rolls for those most heavily involved with the fey in the cage. Perception, Agatha:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10 Perception, Sildur:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 Perception, Sturion:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (14) - 1 = 13 Perception, Urga:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18
As the group looks through the upstairs, the find some items of potential interest in the storeroom.
- three scrolls - Spellcraft (DC23) to identify as Animate Dead
- 2 vials of foul smelling liquid - Alchemy (15) greenblood oil
- small lockbox, locked
- three vials oils - Spellcraft (DC16) to identify as Magic Weapon
- 10 stoppered flasks - Alchemy (DC10) to identify as Alchemist's fire
Once the group leaves the lodge it stands alone and silent, a relic of humanity in the middle of the unnatural winter.
GM roll:1d100 ⇒ 65
It takes 4 or 5 hours, but you are able to navigate back down the trail, seeing the places you had events or made camp the previous night. As you get close to the ambush point along the road, you can tell that the Lady Argentea is getting more and more unnerved.
There was a post/comment earlier about cleaning out the room when the Lady Argenta got out of the cellar. I sort of thought that was the end of the bandits. If you want to retcon some actions to save some, I won't object.
Sorry for the long weekend off. I'll be back to normal now.
After the group finishes the meal, preparations for travel go quickly. The Lady Argentea accepts the bear pelt awkwardly but with a thanks. "I'll definitely need to keep warm, " she says.
As Sildur follows Penny into her room, he thinks about the local area.
Sildur, Geography:
Oppara is generally northwest of where you are now, but some ways off.
As Penny gets ready to move, she opens the chest in her room with a key that she has in her possession. That explains where the key to that chest was. As she packs, she asks "Anything I should know about Heldren? Do they treat half-orcs well."
Is everybody ready to move out? I really only need to know 3 things:
- Any last actions/searches/intel you want to try to get before you leave?
- How are you carrying the fey? Just in the cage?
- Marching order?
There are indeed turnips, carrots, and other food that a mule would eat in the cellar.
Once mention of going back to Heldren is brought up, the Lady Argentea's eyes brighten and her mood improves. "I'd very much like to get back to civilization, " she says. "I do hope we have good transportation. My carriage was comfortable but it did not deal well with the bandit attack."
Penny likewise agrees, "Getting out of this forest would be nice. Do you know how far it is from town to Opparra?"
You can probably find enough winter clothing for Lady Argentea to make the trip in comfort as long as fashion is not a consideration.
You are going to take the fey in the cage or leave it here? Are there any last things you want to do before moving on?
Yes, Thorn, do what you need to do and we'll handle the rest. Family first and I hope your mom comes out of everything OK.
Glad to see everybody is on the same page about moving on. You can gather up the fey, Penny, and the Lady Argentea and move as a group. It should only be a half to 2/3rds of a day to get back to Heldren.
So, I'm not sure where you all want to go from here. Most/all of the adventure items from the AP are taken care of. We could continue to RP this out, but I don't want to let things get too bogged down it's not really interesting to everybody.
Here is what I think is left to do:
- Decide what to do with Penny
- Decide what to do with the Fey upstairs
- Decide if you are going to take Lady Argentea back to Heldren or if you want to press on as you are.
There really aren't any right or wrong answers here. I will admit that I have a minor preference for you going back to town before you achieve level 2, but we could do it overnight in the lodge as well.
Penny confirms Sildur's assertion, "Yes, those are my belongings. It's mostly personal items, really There isn't much in the way of valuables."
When Sturion brings up ale, Penny shakes her head and frowns. "They didn't keep much ale or spirits handy. Rhokar said that it lead to too many fights between the men. There is plenty of clean water, though."
Penny moves back and forth from the kitchen to the table, piling flatware and crockery in front of each place on the table. Soon, the stew follows in hot bowls.
Sniffing the bowl when it is placed before her, Lady Argentea says "Thank you, Goody Penny" with a smile. "It has been too many days without a warm meal."
When asked about the room to the north,Room H12 Penny answers quckly. "That is my room. As far as I know, there are only my things in there. Is something amiss?"
Long day for me tomorrow. I may not make another post until Tuesday morning, depending on how things go.
As the talk of food gets more common, Penny says "Why don't you all sit at the table? I'd be serving food anyway, even if you all did not show up this morning. At least now, I'm doing it for nicer people."
Penny starts to gather up crockery and flatware for a meal.
I moved Lady Argentea to the table in the main room and placed a token for Penny in the kitchen, although she would be walking back and forth a lot.
As Thorn and Urga and ask Penny more directly about the banditry, she gets a bit flustered but answers readily, "It's true, these lot were bandits. The way I see it, I had no real choice. It was freeze in the unexpected winter or hold up here while I could. I never took part in any actual banditry or robbery when they went out on raids. I mostly stayed here and tended to deal with the kitchen."
Thorn:
Penny is obviously a bit nervous but seems to be mostly telling the truth. She is perhaps holding something back but not obviously lying either.
Meanwhile upstairs in the storeroom...
The fey rattles the cage and shouts at Agatha, "NO, NO! You get back here now and unlock this cage. I will not warn you again about what will happen if you do not!"
As Sildur searches...
The keys on the keyring fit into the chest in room H11. Inside the chest and in that room you find:
- a gold ingot engraved with the Taldan royal seal (Appraise (dc 10) 50 gp)
- a spyglass like one that would be used on a ship
- a silver lady’s ring (Appraise (dc 10) 25 gp)
- three shards of tiger’s eye gemstones (Appraise (dc 10) worth 10 gp each)
- a fine pair of leather riding boots of elven make (Appraise (dc 12) 15 gp)
- a silver dagger with a hidden compartment in the hilt containing 1 dose of small poison (Alchemy (DC15) Centipede poison) Even if you don't identify the poison, it is still usable as a silver dagger.
- a leather portfolio containing several pieces of parchment and 4 scrolls tied with twine
spellcraft, dc21:
1 scroll of Endure Elements
spellcraft, dc21:
1 scroll of Unseen Servant
spellcraft, dc21:
1 scroll of Magic Weapon
spellcraft, dc21:
1 scroll of Magic Weapon
Just so we are tracking, there are 3 keys on the ring that Rhokar had. One opened the padlock to the cellar and one opened the chest in H11. None fit in the chest in room H12
Penny stammers a bit and answers, "I.. I.. was headed toward Oppara, to see the big city. Coming from the south, I thought the quickest way would be to go overland, but I ended up here. If the cold weather would break, I'd be on my way."
She then asks, "Do you want me to serve the meal? It's really for midday but it should be fine to eat."
Penny replies to Sildur, "I've not been here very long, really less than a fortnight. I was traveling overland and ran into all this weather. I really ran into the camp here with little more than my skin intact. These guys were a bit rough but they left me alone and I got my own room."
Somewhat sheepishly continuing, she points to her array of knives. "I just need these to cook with. There is a stew on. Does anybody want some?"
Overhearing the conversation the Lady Argentea pipes up, "Stew is far better than being hungry. Might you have any bread with it?"
In the kitchen....
The orcish figure pauses for a while, then comes out slowly, hands away from her sides. When it comes fully out of hiding, you recognize the creature as a half-orc woman. She speaks in clear Taldane, "I mean no harm." Then after a short pause, "I'm part cook, part errand runner, part housekeeper. I do odd jobs around here and the men let me come in from out of the cold. They call me Penny."
Sense motive, DC15:
You don't think that the woman is lying, but you also don't think she is telling the whole story.
Upstairs....
The fey continues to become more agitated as Agatha talks to it. "These are not threats, they are promises! I have powerful allies that you don't want to make angry. You let me out now!"
You'll not get much more out of the fey. Even the point about the troll was a bit extra to get something for the great intimidate roll.
I'll try to get everything tied together. There is one more room that is sort of important to look in and interact with (naturally, the one you haven't opened yet) but really the important things yet to investigate are that room and Vrixx.
Upstairs, with Agatha:
They fey rattles the bars and door of the small cage, despondent that it is still trapped. "Out, Out, Let me out! I'll call Izoze and get her to freeze you up real good! Between her and the troll, I'm sure that we will get revenge on you!" After that, the fey continues to run around the cage and threaten whoever interacts with him.
I've made the intimidate as successful as it can be, but there are other aspects at play here.
Downstairs:
Sildur and Dru continue to open doors and investigate the rooms. When he opens the door to the room in the northwest corner H8, The room appears to be a kitchen. There is a fire in the fireplace and some pots on the stove. The room is noticeably warmer than the rest of the lodge.
Sildur, perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
When Sildur opens the door, he sees an orcish or half-orcish humanoid making a poor attempt to hide in the piles of supplies in the corner.
Map updated with nothing hidden. The room with the half-orc is really the last thing that could be dangerous or need special handling.
The fey gets a bit agitated at Agatha's suggestion that the group may be on its own side. It squeals, "There is no other side. Only us and everybody else. Winter is coming to everywhere and we will not be stopped. You let me out now! I am in cage too long. Izoze and Keb stronger than me and they smash you if they find out you no let me go!" It chirps and chatters a bit but just appears to get more agitated over time.
Downstairs....
Sildur opens another room that looks to be a bedroom. There is a single bed and a somewhat threadbare blanket but little else of note.
Trying to get the map updated but it's just the two rooms to the north you can see.
Sildur opens the door and looks into the room. It appears to be another bedroom with no occupants. A sturdy bed heaped with
blankets sits near the only window, and a large maple chest
occupies the southwest corner.
Meanwhile, upstairs...
Indeed, the key is on the chain that Sildur has. You can get it upstairs at your leisure.
The fey continues to talk quickly, "You may have stopped Rhokar but are you on our side? If you are not, I'm sure that Izoze and Keb will smash you just like they did to these humans."
I think Agatha is upstairs too? She can look at the map. perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Agatha:
This is definitely a map of the local area. You can see Heldren and some local roads. There are markers on the map which could either be battles that took place or plans for ambushes. You can see the trail that you followed to this lodge. The trail continues deeper into the forest. At the end of the trail, there are some odd and unlabeled markings.
I'm going to get everybody upstairs on the same page.
Sturion reaches up and sets the cage on a dwarf-leveled box in the store room. He rattles the cage a bit, but it is locked. You'll need to find a key or break the cage.
The fey says, "Bad man Rhokar stole me from my kin and keeps me locked in here. You let me out or bad things happen to you too. I have many friends in the area."
Agatha:
You don't think it is uncommon for fey known as sprites to be able to look like shining lights, but don't really know much more.
Next up, is Sildur moving into the room to the north. I think my schedule should be back to normal starting tonight. Will try to get back to more normal posting levels and frequency.
As Sturion and Urga peer onto the lighted cage and start to listen to the voice, the light form coalesces into the form of a humanoid creature, another fey of some type.
The fey speaks quickly, "Let me out! Let me out! I don't deserve to be in this cage! It's not right."
This continues for a few moments as others join in the room. So far, the only thing you are able to get out of him other than a desire to be let out of the cage is that his name is "Vrixx".
Getting caught up here. I think I'm going to try this in two posts. One for the Lady Argentea interactions and one for upstairs. It will probably take me most of the day to get through both.
In the cellar...
Rikael springs down with a flourish and Sildur climbs down the ladder after him. The lady accepts Sildur's cloak somewhat stiffly, "Thank you, " she says, "As I'm sure you are aware, it has been quite unusually cold of late. I'd very much like to get out of this hole. Should we move upward?"
When she hears of Yuln and the fey, her eyes light up. "It is good to hear that word of the attack reached civilization. You seem to know that we are dealing with more than just banditry as well. I presume that a force of loyal Taldane subjects is being raised to deal with this assault. I do hope to be out of the area before the army arrives."
After some additional small talk, Lady Argentea climbs the ladder and gets helped over the top by Thorn. "My thanks, loyal one," she says. "I should warm myself near the fire, " she says and moves toward the fireplace. "Is there a kitchen here? " she asks, "these naves were not very good hosts."There is wood near the fire and an obvious wood pile outside should anybody look.
After the lady leaves the cellar, Sildur has a few minutes to examine the room. The barrels and crates and full of vegetables, potatoes, grain, and general food stuffs. The markings are all varied, meaning that many of these supplies were probably looted by the bandits. You could make quite the meal out of these things if you were so motivated.
It's mid-morning by now, you could use that stuff to feed everybody or replenish some rations or just leave it.
The room looks like a standard meeting or work room. The map looks to be one of the local area, with Heldren clearly labeled and roads drawn on the map much like the one that lead south from town to the caravan ambush site. You might want to have somebody else look at the map, Urga's rolls weren't stellar.
The closet off to the side is a storeroom of sorts with dozens of small boxes, bottles, and papers stacked somewhat haphazardly. A small iron cage sits on the top shelf, emanating a flickering light like that of a candle. After Urga opens the door and looks around, the light speaks alternating in common and a language Urga does not understand. It says "Let me out! Let me out!" several times quickly but in a somewhat strained voice.
Agatha, Sildur, Rikael, & Thorn:
I'm going to try to put this together in a way that makes sense, with Rikael and Sildur going a little bit before Agatha and Thorn's actions.
When Rikael and Sildur call down to the cellar, they initially get a curt response. "Of course, I'm the Lady Argentea. Did you forget who you captured over night?"
Then, after Rikael announces that they were sent from Heldren, the woman's tone changes. "OH! Do accept my apologies. I thought you were with the bandits. I do not know a man named Ulrich but I would very much like to get out of this cellar." The lady comes closer to the door and is visible in the light from above. She is dirty and somewhat disheveled but walks without a limp or other signs of serious injury. When she gets to the bottom of the ladder, she says "Would somebody be so kind as to steady me as I climb?"
Also, Thorn, there is a ladder. You don't need to use a rope to get down or up.
Map updated. For some reason, it came out as a different size than the others so I had to place everybody's chits again. Feel free to move around if I remembered correctly.
Area H12 on the map now shown.
Sildur ransacks the room and finds little more than some personal effects. There are a a few pieces of women's clothing, some obviously cheap jewelry, and a complete set of bed linens. The chest is wooden and locked with a padlock.
Thorn & Rikael:
Area H17 on the map now shown.
A woman's voice responds to Thorn's question, "Hello? Did you think I'd be going anywhere?" says the voice with a sharp tone. The woman continues, "I don't know what all that noise was, but a hot lunch and some clean water would be nice."
I'm having some internet connection issues today. Will update the map as soon as I can.
I'm pointing out basic things in the room(s) that a person might see. It's roughly equivalent to taking 10 on perception. If you want to investigate things in more detail, you'll need to specify.
Sildur and Dru, after opening the door:
A bed and chest sit across from one another in this small room. Two doors serve as exits, and a window looks out on the north side of the lodge.
Thorn and Rikael:
A wooden ladder leads down into the lower level. The light from above lets you see a half-dozen or so boxes and barrels around the edges of the basement. There is a basically humanoid creature sitting on a rough blanket or rug in the southeast corner of the room.
OK, so we are breaking into smaller groups? I'll try to get some narrative going for the actions I see.
Agatha:
The heavy cloak is crafted from shaggy white fur. You can't pick anything in specific about the magical abilities of the cloak.
Upstairs, Urga and Sturion:
Area H15 on the map
An L-shaped table with many chairs takes up most of the floor space in this loft. A second smaller table sits near the entrance, and several windows look over the snowy grounds of the lodge. In the southwest corner, a large map hangs on the wall, opposite another door in the northeast wall. There is another door to a small room or closet to the northeast.
at the trapdoor, Thorn and Rikael:
One of the keys on Rhokar's ring fits in the lock.
Map updated. I'm not sure which side room Sildur is checking, please select one.
Also I think you all have access to the loot sheet?
Here is a basic list of stuff that you would have collected/salvaged from the bandits.
From the general bandits (10 total):
10x Padded Armor
10x buckler
10x shortsword
10x shortbow
100 arrows
80gp 50sp
From the bandit lieutenant (bandit(5)):
leather armor buckler scimitar (appraise DC12 to identify as masterwork quality)
shortbow with 20 arrows
20 gp, 8 sp
From the 3 frost skeletons:
3x scimitar
From Rhokar
1 vial of oil - DC13 alchemy or similar skill to identify as greenblood oil
2 other oil vials - DC15 alchemy or similar skill to identify as oil of taggit
studded leather armor (appraise DC12 to identify as masterwork quality)
dagger light crossbow with 10 bolts short sword (appraise DC12 to identify as masterwork quality)
cloak - identifies as magic (faint abjuration) to Agatha
thieves’ tools (appraise DC12 to identify as masterwork quality)
ring of keys with 3 keys,
spellbook (contains alarm, chill touch,expeditious retreat, feather fall, identify, locate object, and ray of enfeeblement)
wooden holy symbol - DC10 religion check to identify as unholy symbol of Norgorber
15 gp
From the room in general
- large bearskin rug ( could be used as cold weather gear, tent floor, blanket) - appraise 12 to identify as being worth 10gp
As Thorn casts aside the bearskin rug on the floor, he sees what appears to be a door set into the floor. It is secured with a padlock.
I'm still tabulating all of the loot and stuff that the bandits are carrying. I'll try to get a basic inventory up shortly. If you want to look at specific people or things in the room, let me know and I'll account for that.
The lone skeleton slashes at Thorn. attack:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13. Thorn's armor saves him from the skeleton's blade.
Sturion steps toward the skeleton and swings his hammer. The fine dwarven metal smashes into the animated bones and sends them to the ground in a pile.
Combat over!
A bunch of stabilize rolls for the bandits. I am not going to actually go through all the rolls until they die, self-stabilize, or are helped but if you want to take any action, you can mostly do so. Stabilize, Bandit2:1d20 + 3 - 8 ⇒ (16) + 3 - 8 = 11 Stabilize, Bandit3:1d20 + 3 - 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 - 3 = 18 Stabilize, Bandit4:1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 3 - 4 = 15 Stabilize, Bandit7:1d20 + 3 - 11 ⇒ (4) + 3 - 11 = -4 Stabilize, Bandit9:1d20 + 3 - 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 - 3 = 20 Stabilize, Bandit10:1d20 + 3 - 10 ⇒ (12) + 3 - 10 = 5
As the battle comes to a close, Bandits7 and 10 succumb to their injuries.
I think we have Urga and bandits 1,2,3,4,5,9, and 11 that are stabilized. The other bandits are beyond help and Bandit6 ran out of the building in a disabled state.
Rhokar starts to read the scroll in his hand and takes his eyes off of the battlefield around him as he mumbles the incantation. The rest of the combatants seize the opportunity to make an attack while Rhokar is distracted.
Sturion lands a solid blow with his hammer.
AoO, Thorn:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24damage:1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Agatha casts her hex. will save, dc14:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18 Rhokar resists the hex, what little good that may do him.
AoO, Rikael:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25damage:1d6 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 AoO, Sildur:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5damage:1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
That's why I asked the question earlier. Now I see why there was a lack of controversy, I don't think I asked correctly.
There are two facets to casting a spell (which reading a scroll closely follows):
- concentration/casting defensively
- casting through damage
My point earlier was more about casting through damage as Rhokar was tripped. In that case the DC should be 10+damage+spell level, which in this case is 13.
Now that I go back and read rules again (with the additional benefit of no pain medication and some additional free time), I also agree there is not a way to avoid some AoO's. I'll retcon in some AoO's from Rikael, Sildur, and Thorn.
Releasing the magic from his scroll, Rhokar touches the body of the man he just killed. The man's bones split his dead skin and rise, creating an ally for Rhokar.
Even with Rhokar lying on the ground, Rikael can manage to hit nothing other than floorboards.
Sildur continues his accurate use of the short spear, drawing more blood from Rhokar.
Dru tries to bite at the newly raised skeleton, but is unable to get his teeth to contact bone. I switched the target based on how the map worked, but he wouldn't have hit either.
Other notes: Urga stabilized so he should be mostly good, I think. Also, the skeleton closing on Thorn shouldn't provoke an attack of opportunity.
End of round 7.
Order of actions:
Skeleton(1) <-- holding here
Sturion
Thorn
Agatha
Urga
Rhokar
New Skeleton
Rikael
Sildur
Dru
We're now in one of those situations not covered well by the rules.
Rhokar has a scroll. Scrolls should be usable when prone without issue, but they are subject to disruption. So, I had him make a check with no additional penalty from the trip. Good/Bad/Ugly?
I'm trying to avoid eating 2 AoO's right now, but that is the other option.
Skeleton#1 continues to swing his scimitar at Urga. attack:1d20 ⇒ 19weapon damage:1d6 ⇒ 3cold damage:1d6 ⇒ 4 This time, the skeleton makes a solid hit on Urga and the magic of the skeleton knocks Urga out of the fight. Let's hope you can get fixed up quickly! The skeleton then steps over Urga's unconscious body and moves closer to Thorn.
Sturion steps up and swings his hammer at newly visible man. Sturion makes a good hit and the man makes barely a reaction. Returning the taunt, the mans says, "Don't you worry; I have power over death. You will return to serve me after you and the rest of your compatriots fall.".
Thorn reaches out with his hooked lance and catches Rhokar's ankle, bringing the man to the ground.
Seeing the man drop to the ground, Agatha takes advantage of his immobility and casts a beam of cold. The ray hits the man and chills him somewhat.
Dru delays, moving him to the end.
Urga, being unconscious, can try to stabilize himself. Roll at your convenience.
Rhokar, now on the ground, tries to read from a scroll. See commentary on the discussion thread.concentration:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Going to pause here in case the above action is overly controversial.
Order of actions:
Skeleton(1)
Sturion
Thorn
Agatha
Urga
Rhokar <-- holding here
Rikael
Sildur
Dru
When the man casts the spell, he shimmers and his invisibility breaks.
He's on the map. A little piece of RoW trivia: Sildur is what Rhokar looks like in the book. I picked a different picture for him. Feel free to change actions as necessary.
Part of the strategy laid out is that Rhokar specifically casts Death Knell, so I'll put him on the map when I am at a real computer.
I wanted to paint the whole thing as more obviously evil and that the bandits knew they were in league with a necromancer/death involved caster. I think I stepped a little outside of most people's comfort zone on that one so I will fix it.
Thanks all. I broke my nose playing hockey and had to see a plastic surgeon for reconstruction. Basically I had a nose job to end up looking the same as I started.
I went back and forth on whether or not I should have death knell break invisibility several times. I settled on no because the bandits were all on the same side and the phraseology of "Exactly who is a foe depends on the invisible character's perceptions." My thoughts were that they are all on the same side so it wouldn't break.
That being said, I'm open to the idea that I'm way outside the normal interpretation for that spell, especially because it is one that PC's don't often use. We can have death knell break invisibility if that is more appropriate.
Skeleton(1) The red background attacks Urga with its scimitar. attack:1d20 ⇒ 10. Urga's combat prowess and stout armor keep hi from being wounded.
Sturion moves into position on Skeleton(3) and takes a swing with his longhammer. He manages to his only the floor at the feet of the skeleton.
Thorn swings at Skeleton (3) and makes contact with the creature. While not fully effective, Thorn does some damage to the skeleton.
Agatha lights her torch and waves it in the direction of the skeleton.
Dru backs up into the crowd to avoid further injury.
Skeleton(2) shambles toward Sturion and lashes out with its weapon. attack:1d20 ⇒ 16. The blade sparks when it hits Sturion's armor but does not penetrate it.
Urga takes damage:1d6 ⇒ 4 damage from the cold. The chilling effect causes Urga's falchion to swing wide and miss the skeleton.
Creature(4) casts a spell.
stealth:1d20 + 6 + 20 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 20 = 41
spellcraft, dc18:
The spell is death knell.
Bandit(3) immediately stops moving and is now silent. 1d8 ⇒ 8
Bandit(6) continues to run for the hills.
Rikael stands up and takes a drink and enters a rage.
Sildur steps up to Skeleton(2) and stabs at it with his short spear. Continuing to put on a demonstration of effective spearing, Sildur hits the skeleton in the skull. It falls to the ground in a pile of bones and metal.
We are down to 1 skeleton and the invisible creature. Go ahead and think of the next round.
Order of actions:
Skeleton(1) <-- we are here
Sturion
Thorn
Agatha
Dru
Urga
Creature(4)
Rikael
Sildur
I'm having some minor surgery this afternoon. Depending on how much pain medication I end up taking, I may be unable to post until late in the weekend.
I'm going to try to get a summary of the round posted before hand, but time is slipping away.
